Long-Term Care

Central Maine Healthcare offers many different long-term care living options, each suited to an individual’s medical needs and functionality. If you’re unsure which type of long-term care you or a loved one needs, here is a short guide differentiating between each type:

Assisted Living/Residential Care: Assisted living is what you may first picture when you think of residential care. Assisted living is for high-functioning people who need help with small tasks, like taking medication, grooming and eating meals. Outpatient therapy is also provided here. This is the right fit for men and women with simple medical needs but is not suited for those with complex medical needs. This includes people with Alzheimer’s and dementia.  Offered at Bolster Heights and Rumford Community Home.

Memory Care: Memory Care is a specific type of Assisted Living for men and women living with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or other form of dementia. While it has many of the same amenities as Assisted Living and residents of both departments frequently socialize together, there are a few key differences. Our Memory Care provides a secured unit to provide a safe living environment for those who may be at risk of wandering. Our team members provide warmth and compassion to our residents here, and also reduce negative stimuli that may agitate or confuse people living with dementia. We also honor the “age-in-place” philosophy, meaning that when a resident experiences a decline in his/her physical abilities, we increase the amount of care provided by our team members and assist them to remain on the unit as long as it is safe to do so. Offered at Rumford Community Home.

Skilled Rehabilitation: We offer skilled rehab for short-stay patients (a few weeks to a few months) who are recovering from an injury, surgery, or short-term illness. Sometimes, these are hip or knee replacement patients, but often the cases are more medically complex. Skilled therapists provide individualized treatment plans to offer OT, PT, and speech therapy to maximize each person’s abilities and create a comprehensive discharge plan. If the patient is going home, we perform home evaluations, provide caregiver training, and referrals to home health care as needed. Offered at Rumford Community Home.

Long-Term Care: This is the highest and most comprehensive level of care provided for residents who need significant assistance with mobility, self-care, and other day-to-day tasks.  We provide OT, PT, and speech therapy in-house as needed when a person experiences a decline in ability, and our nurses and CNA’s provide restorative nursing programs to maintain each person’s level of function. We also have a fabulous activities program to make your time with us fun and enjoyable. Offered at Rumford Community Home.

Our Locations: No matter what type of care you or loved one needs, one thing remains the same between all our options: resident-centered care. We always listen to our residents and put their needs first, whether it pertains to your medical issues or simply an activity you’d like to see on our events calendar. We are here to help you enjoy your new residence and make sure you feel at home.

Schedule a Tour

Interested in visiting one of Central Maine Healthcare’s residential homes? We would love to give you a personal tour to show you our amenities and lifestyle. You can schedule a tour at:

• Bolster Heights location by calling 207-784-1364
• Rumford Community Home by calling 207-364-7863.

One of our team members will walk you through the process of setting up a tour. If you are directed to our answering machine, please leave a detailed message with your name, number and requested tour date. We will call you back as soon as possible.

What We Offer

Amenities:

• Recently renovated private and semi-private rooms
• 24/7 assistance for all needs including medication, bathing and other daily living activities
• 24/7 security and surveillance
• Quick access to medical care at CMMC and Rumford Hospital. On-site medical care is offered at the Bolster Height’s location, and very close by at Rumford Community Home. 
• Transportation to medical appointments within a 15-mile radius
• Experienced nurses, CNAs and certified residential medical assistants 
• Nutrition therapy with registered dietitians
• Pharmacy consultations
• Visits from therapy dogs and other resident-centered activities
• Licensed beautician on-site weekly
• Podiatrist services provided on-side quarterly
• Laundry & Housekeeping 

Activities and Fine Dining: At Central Maine Healthcare’s long-term care facilities, we offer a holistic approach to your medical, social, and emotional care that is unparalleled by other homes in the area. However, that’s not the only area of focus for us. As all-inclusive, affordable senior living facilities, we want to make sure our residents have fun, fulfilling lives, have all the comforts of home and feel completely taken care of.

Activities & Events: From regular events like trips to the movies, shopping, and crafts to special, seasonal events like visiting the apple orchard in the fall, picnicking in the spring and Christmas time fun, our activities and events calendar offers something for every type of resident!  As part of our activities, we also take residents out to restaurants occasionally, so they can enjoy life just that much more.

Fine Dining: We serve three expertly prepared, nutritious meals per day in restaurant-style and family-style environments, which allow residents to socialize while they eat. We offer a variety of food choices and also offer diets tailored to complement each resident’s clinical needs. Snacks are also available between meals. We offer registered dietician services to provide our residents with nutrition therapy and help them make healthy food choices.

To get a better picture of what life is like at our residential homes, check out our Facebook pages to see what our residents are up to.

Helpful Resources: Is It Time?

As a family member of a senior, it can be hard to talk about when it’s time to move your loved one into a long-term care home. It’s a difficult conversation, but a necessary one. To get a sense of where your loved one is at mentally and physically, ask yourself the questions below.

What Signs Should I Look For?

• Do you notice changes in physical appearance or a decline in personal hygiene? Do you notice either significant weight loss or weight gain? Do you notice any bumps or bruises that may indicate they have had falls? Are they wearing dirty clothing, and have they quit bathing?
• Are they less mobile? Are they experiencing any increased difficulty in walking or getting in and out of chairs/sofas? Do they appear less steady on their feet?
• Is there a decline in home cleanliness and repair? Does their home look clean and well maintained or is it in need of cleaning and/or repairs? Is trash and/or clutter accumulating? Does it smell of urine or feces? Is the yard being maintained in a consistent manner?
• Are they not as able to prepare healthy meals? Do you notice a change in the kinds of foods they have? Are their appliances in working order? Is there adequate food? Spoiled food?
• Have you noticed changes in mood, memory or behavior? Do you notice your loved one constantly repeating things? Are you noticing increased confusion? Are you hearing from their friends that something has changed in their mood or behavior? Are they having difficulty carrying on an extended conversation? Are they showing irritability or apathy? Are they reporting more difficulty sleeping? Are they isolating themselves from social situations?
• Are they changing their routine? Do you notice stacks of unopened mail? Are bills not getting paid? Are medications being taken? 

If you answered yes to any of these questions, it could be time to look into long-term care for your loved one.

Financial Planning: Retirement, Social Security Benefits and 401K

The emotional strain of preparing a loved one for long-term care can be huge, but so can the financial strain. To help you plan, we’re linking you to a few financial tools:

Use this tool to figure out whether you or your loved one has enough saved in retirement to cover long-term care costs.
Use this calculator to determine what age you or your loved one should claim social security if you haven’t already.
Figure out how much your 401(k) can contribute to you or your loved one’s needs. 
Source: www.aarp.org